Enough already!

[deathpixie]

Apparently there's a protest happening at police headquarters at 5:30 and we've been told to be out of our building by 4:30. While I don't exactly mind the early leave time, I was planning to swim tonight. Only the YMCA is near the police station and for my own safety I've been told to avoid it.

Stupid anarchists. Go home to mommy and daddy already.

Comments

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

Go home to mommy and daddy already.

Keepin' it classy, I see.

[deathpixie]

Because smashing up a Starbucks and leaving the employees who are on minimum wage with no paid leave, unable to work and get money to pay their rent is classy.

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

And aggressive black block protesters and associated arrests make up a minority of the arrests being protested.

[deathpixie]

Okay, I'm sorry, I was snarky and generalised. I'm just sick to death of disruptions and violence and security warning through my work email every hour and of my city looking like an armed camp. I'm not happy with police violence either and I don't have any issues with peaceful protest, but it's not peaceful protest that I'm getting warnings about.

All I wanted to do was go for a swim after work, but apparently that's not allowed either.

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. It's got to be infuriating suddenly having parts of your life screwed up for this and seeing damage done to your home. As far as your city looking like an armed camp - I've been there, it's no fun for anyone - isn't that as much your city's response to the protests as the actions of the protesters themselves?

But I'm sitting here looking at email requests for a peaceful protest and zero violence from several of the groups having at it this evening (I'm involved with a few different groups up there, this week) and just generally getting frustrated at the assumption of violence (especially given police behavior in general during the riots) and the continued assumption that these are all trust fund kids.

There are many, many douchebag anarchists. And many many more who were doing nothing more than protesting or filming or being identifiable as an anarchist. Those are arrests worth protesting.

[dexfarkin.livejournal.com]

There are many, many douchebag anarchists. And many many more who were doing nothing more than protesting or filming or being identifiable as an anarchist. Those are arrests worth protesting.

Who, I should point out, are doing fuck all to out these Black Bloc pricks to the proper authorities and are happily providing cover for them to operate in. If you are part of helping douche-bags turn a legitimate protest into a riot, your group holds equal responsibility. So, frankly, they can take the argument and shove it.

If you want to protest, it is part of your responsibility to make sure not to give the police reasons why your protest is anything other than peaceful. And, you know what, Toronto has an awful lot of protests, pride parades and demostrations on a regular basis. Even when three thousand Palenstinians blocked traffic out front of the US Embassey, there was no breaking of windows or black masked people moving with impunity through the crowd. Fuckheads came here to break shit, and every other group closed its eyes and chanted 'police brutality'.

Fuck them.

[deathpixie]

See, the thing is, Toronto has had many protests in recent years that haven't required the ten foot fences and mass police actions. The G20 is notorious for violence, which is why the "batten down the hatches" mentality. The reason for that violence is those very same douchbag anarchists you acknowledge are the problem. If it wasn't for the douchebags (who are the target of my ire today, not the bulk of the protestors, which I'd already said I have no issues with), there'd be no need for the insane levels of police activity. Things were perfectly peaceful on Saturday between police and protestors - until individuals in masks started smashing windows and setting fire to police cars. Hell, even on Sunday there were several actions (including a prayer vigil and a cyclists' protest) that went ahead with no issues from either side.

To sum up - I'm not mad at peaceful protestors. I am mad at the perpetrators of the violence, since it is their behaviour (in past summits as well as this one) that's caused a lot of this insanity, and I'm mad at the government who decided downtown would be a great place for the G20, despite there being a perfectly secure location in the form of Exhibition Place.

[ferox.livejournal.com]

Pretty much everyone has already said it but: I'm really quite angry over both sides of this story. On the one hand, you have police being overly handy with the sending people into lock up. On the other hand, you have a whole lot of masked, rich white kids breaking shit and forcing the police into making statements that are affecting the people who sit on the third foot, the peaceful protesters, who want their voice heard but are being jailed because those other protesters did it wrong.

I was talking last night with a friend who put it quite oddly-well; "I think ideas like chat roulette have shown us that when people get the chance to do something "wrong" without identification or reprimand, they're going to do it. They've turned the G20 into their own game of chat roulette but with masks and broken windows instead of strategic crops and flashing."

I also think it's helpful to separate. I do not put "protesters" into the same category as "anarchists" into the same as "vandals". In fact, I feel very few of the vandals ARE protestors, merely opportunists.